The SUN Kickball Tournament is a great way for friends and neighbors to get out, enjoy the day, and play somewhat competitive kickball. Normally, the tournament goes off without a hitch, but this year, with the regular kickball referees striking, the tournament was filled with bad calls, angry competitors, and overall chaos. “We apologize to all the hard working competitors,” said SUN President Mike Victoria. “We tried to meet the demands of the usual kickball refs, but alas, the demands were not in line with what we as an organization were willing to meet.”
Teams were exasperated by many of the poor calls. “We had a base runner get hit on the second bounce,” said team captain Chris Strano. “It has to be in the air, and everyone knows that. The other team couldn’t believe it, and even after the refs talked to each other, the call stood. Unbelievable.”
Several other calls were clearly blown as well. “Just because it is kickball, not baseball, doesn’t mean you don’t have to tag up,” said angry competitor Zac Hubka. “It wasn’t even close, and apparently these refs have never seen a double play. It cost us third place.” The replacement refs did not take The Stapletonion’s request for interviews, but striking ref Chad Lien took time to review video taken of several of the games.
“From the footage I watched, it was clear they did not know what they were doing,” said Lien. “The games took longer as they had to look up rules that they should have known, and it had a major impact on the games, and ultimately, who won the tournament. SUN President Victoria expects next year’s tournament to go much more smoothly. “We have a new deal in place with the regular referees, and are excited about the tournament already. “We want the players and coaches to understand this was an unfortunate situation, and it next year will be another great year.” ]]>